Press Releases

Malarial Mosquitos Migrate Long Distances on High Level Wind Currents

Anopheles malaria vectors have been collected up to 290 meters up in the atmosphere, proving for the first time that they are able to undertake long-distance migrations. These findings argue that previously blood-fed, and therefore potentially infected, mosquitos travel significant distances, and that air-borne migration may be responsible for the introduction (or reintroduction) of malaria or other infectious diseases to the region – as is now thought to be the case during previous outbreaks in Israel and Egypt. These findings have significant impacts for control and elimination efforts for vector-borne disease; mosquito control efforts and vector hazard models will have to take long-distance migration into account.

New Insights into the Mechanism of Vaccine-induced T Cell Immunity

A team led by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has gained new insights into the mechanism of vaccine-induced T cell immunity utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing and metabolic profiling techniques.  Though numerous vaccines induce and amplify T cells, a critical part of the body’s adaptive immune system, there is still an information gap regarding what determines the magnitude, diversity and persistence of that response.

MERS-CoV vaccine is safe and induces strong immunity in Army-led first-in-human trial

The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research conducted a Phase 1 first-in-human trial of a Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus vaccine candidate that was shown to be safe, well-tolerated, and induced a robust immune response comparable to response seen in survivors of natural MERS CoV infection. Initial findings were published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and have prompted further trials of the vaccine co-developed by GeneOne Life Science Inc. and Inovio Pharmaceuticals.